Banks top overall latest JSE sector disclosure ratings

21 April 2021, Johannesburg: ESG (environmental, social and governance) data analytics company, Risk Insights, and ESG business communications firm, Instinctif Partners, today released the latest JSE Sector ESG disclosure ranking and scores for all sectors. The ranking evaluates every company on the JSE, but for the purposes of this report, discloses ESG performance of each of the 18 JSE super sectors as a whole.

Anashrin Pillay, CEO of Risk Insights says, “Our research using unstructured data has established, through statistical methods, a strong correlation between company disclosure and sustainability. Therefore, we believe that it is important for South Africa’s economy – and the national agenda – that companies continue improving their disclosure to take into account the requirements of all their respective stakeholders. This will ensure that transparency is driving accountability and sustainability, enabling corporates to attract capital and lower the cost of funds. Sustainability disclosure and ESG strategies will result in deeper capital markets through impact investing thereby building resilience into the South African economy.”

The ratings are based on TF-IDF* scores that are completely independent and can be used by investors, corporates and other stakeholders to identify key ESG risks and opportunities for listed JSE counters. The Risk Insights ESG database and platform is enriched with data for all listed companies on the JSE from 2016 to date, rated by sector for a particular financial year. As companies integrated reports are published together with other voluntary and mandatory reports, ESG GPS uses algorithm to gather and rate institutions. The retrospective rating provides a forward view of the companies’ sustainability. ESG rating and disclosure reporting are embedded into strategy and not a point in time statistic.

Kim Polley, Managing Partner, Instinctif Partners, comments, “In my 20+ year career I don’t think I’ve ever seen or felt disruption quite like 2021. Before the pandemic, we were already seeing segments of society taking action – led by characters such as Wangari Maathai and Greta Thunberg – but the awakening to the inter-connection of all the worlds systems was highlighted starkly by Covid-19. Investors took notice, and expectations have shifted from ticking the right boxes to having a clear and authentic purpose. Stakeholders are expecting to see measurable impact, driven by meaningful action. Words are no longer enough.”

The JSE is in the top 20 listed exchanges globally, with its own market capitalisation of approximately R9.9bn. The research was conducted across the 18 super JSE sectors shares which were specifically rated according to total ESG (environmental, social and governance) disclosure.

For the full rankings, see our report here.